A Lesson
by iolar abu
Summary: Elizabeth is now working for Jack on the Black Pearl. She's been upgraded from cabin boy to ... lookout? Companion to "An Encounter". Oneshot, post CoBP.


She had been his cabin girl for exactly five days before he had told her that she would no longer be needed in this particular position. She supposed that she hadn't exactly tried very hard to make a good impression on the Captain. _Come to think, filling his bed with fish probably wasn't the best idea. Though his entire cabin still reeks!_ Jack - _No, the Captain_, she thought, had been particularly mad after that stunt, just one of many. In fact, she had made Jack's life so close to a living hell over the last measley five days that he had decided that he was going to "promote" her to lookout.  

Which was a problem. And a big one. Elizabeth was in no way a weak woman. She had lived for the last six, almost seven years on ships filled with disreputable men, and had made it out alive. Certainly hardened, and more aware of just how much corruption seeded through the world, but alive nevertheless. However, there was one part of living on a ship that she had never managed to master. It wasn't the sailing part, or the climbing part, it was the ability to stay in very high confined spaces that were being jostled by the winds for very long periods of time.

She wasn't afraid of the heights when she was accomplishing her daily duties, because she knew that she could always climb down if she needed to, pretending that she had other things to do. However, the one time that she had visited the crow's nest in her previous ship, _El Rdo de El Campello_, she had climbed down as quickly as she could, trying to hide her terror. And now Jack, without even knowing what he was doing, had placed her up against something that was worse than waking up to the smell of rotting fish every single day (she had hidden a couple around his cabin for added effect) her own fears.

So she had wracked her mind for reasons why she couldn't possibly be in the crow's nest as the lookout, but she knew that it would make her look weak if she refused, and she couldn't let Jack discover her irrational fear. After all, he knew that she had very good eyes, and it would keep her away from spending too much time with the men, so it really was a good idea, if she hadn't been so afraid!

_I'm being silly. It can't be that bad. I can do this. _But as she looked up at the mast abover her head - so far up above - she felt her knees grow weak. A voice sounding from behind her made her jump.

"Lookin' up at your future home, Miss Swann?"

Elizabeth felt her blood boil. The gall - the pure gall - of the man!

"In fact, _Captain,_ I was just thinking of how much fun someone who was mischeveous could have, throwing, let's say, rotten sea creatures down at the sailors below..."

"Lizzie, that's not going to get you out of Crow's Nest duty. If ya want ta make trouble, it will be a lot harder from all up there, ma darlin'."

Elizabeth felt her features shape themselves into a pout. Jack merely raised an eyebrow at her. _I need to get up there, or he'll start thinking I have other motivations, and I don't want him thinking too much about that. He's far too perceptive. He'd understand at once..._

"Miss Swann. Get up there. Right now, lots ta do, lots ta do. You're allowed ta come down once the sun 'as gone by and by o'er the horizon."

Elizabeth could almost feel the blood drain out of her face. She smiled cheekily up at Jack.

"Of course, my Captain."

She turned away from him, and started the climb, trying to hid her shaking as best she could. The ropes, as always, were easy to grab, and she made her way up quickly. More quickly than she would have liked. _Just don't look down. Just don't look down. Or up for that matter. _As long as she concentrated on her task, she knew that she could make it far up enough that Jack would not be able to see if she changed speed. She was aiming for the first boom on the mast, where she figured she could take a rest, and try looking down. When she finally pulled herself up on the sturdy piece of wood, slightly out of breath, the last thing that she expected to see was a certain captain climbing up after her.

Pure panic filled her mind. If he wanted to follow her all the way up to the very top of the crow's nest, there was no way that she would be able to hide her terror. But she was very determined to at least give it a try. She deliberated for a few moments between waiting for him, and just speeding up ahead, finally deciding on the latter. After all, if she got up to the top before him, it would give her a few moments to hide her disaray. She was also counting on his peculiar way of capturing her total attention to help her keep her composure. After all, she had long given up pretending to herself that the Captain did not fascinate her to a certain degree.

She grabbed the ropes that twisted around the main mast, and immediately started to climb as fast as she could. Though she had never really been the best climber, she scurried up the mast, making it to the second boom in less time that she had thought possible. Looking down, _don't feel scared, don't feel scared, don't feel scared_, her eyes widened to see that Jack had almost closed the gap between them. She went to grab the first echelon that would lead her to the final boom when she heard the voice of the pirate captain.

"Why Lizzie, why are you in such a hurry ta make it up ta the lonesome Crow's Nest? Can't see that a lass like you would be all up n' about spendin' some time on your lonesome, darlin'. How 'bout you wait for your Captain?"

Elizabeth felt her heart sink. She didn't know how much she trusted herself to talk out loud. Jack was too perceptive. _He'll know something is wrong... I can't pretend that well. _

"Well, Jack, I figured that I would prefer being as far away as possible from the pungent odor that is emanting from your cabin. After all, not all of us have such an appreciation of water fowl." She hated how her voice shook. At this heigh, the main mast wasn't as solid as it had been closer to the deck. Fear gripped her heart, and she tightened her grip on the echelon. Trying to seem unfazed, she forced a grin down at Jack. He swung up onto the boom, sitting down as steadily as if he had been aground. Elizabeth felt a stab of shame. _I feel so weak, so vulnerable compared to that unsuffurable man..._

Jack was peering at her with a look of distinct interest on his face. Elizabeth felt her heart sink even lower. _He has guessed. I can see it in his eyes. He's never going to respect me if this keeps on going. _But to her surprise, the Captain didn't say anything. He merely slid a thoughtful grin onto his face, and nodded to himself.

"Well, m'darlin', there's a been too much gabbin' an' not enough climbin' going on here! Get to it. I'll be following ya, don't want ya to ransack me crow's nest! Ladies first..."

Elizabeth could have sworn at him. She turned to face the mast again, and climbed up the echelons that led to the final boom before the crow's nest. She knew that there was space up there for two men, but did not look forward to having to spend any time in such close quarters with the man who doggedly followed her up the final stretch. Her hands were shaking, and she was sure that she was so white that the sails had better colour than she. Dropping into the nest, she felt it sway from side to side, and closed her eyes. She was used to the motion of the ship, but this was a new thing. The winds blew so hard, and she felt as if she was going to fall and plummet down, down, down...

A warm arm pulled her roughly to the side of the pirate who had climbed up with her. Eyes wide with shock, she looked up at Jack Sparrow, the last man on earth she had expected to have any sympathy for her fear of heights. He was so _real_, and so solid, and so warm that for a second, just a second, she could forget where she was. When he caught her eyes with his own, she felt as if she was drowning, falling. Her knees, already weak from the climb, collapsed.

But she didn't fall. The Captain slowly sat down, bringing a trembling Elizabeth into his lap. She hid her face in his chest, embarassed, scared and overwhelmed.

"Lizzie..." His voice was so soft. "Lizzie, ya should have told me a lie. I wouldn'ta made you come up 'ere, you know, if I had known. 's not a fair way ta get back at ya. You okay, lass?"

She shook her head. Jack was helping her stay away from complete panic, but the fear was still there, stronger than ever. She could feel her heart beating wildly, and she still shook. She felt Jack chuckle a little. If she had been down on deck, or even anywhere else, she would have berated him without thought, but the idea of moving from his safe embrace was too much.

"This is ta be a secret between you and me, Lizzie. This doesn't count. We can go back down, and I'll still be mad, and you'll still want ta get back at ol' Captain Jack. But I made ya climb up 'ere to show you all the decks to swab. You'd be no good in the Nest 'nyways, darlin'." He pulled her chin so that she was looking at him. "Not tall enough. Can't see properly n' everythin' o'er the top o' the nest." He winked at her.

Elizabeth felt her heart flutter a bit. It had taken her being scared silly for her to learn that when push came to shove, Captain Jack would come through for her. Not in the way that she might have expected, but when it really mattered, he was one of the few people she could now trust.

She regretted that thought as soon as she touched the deck. Jack had decided that she was to have double duty. Swabbing the decks. Cleaning the cannons. And then, the infuriating man had decided that she was to spend the rest of her day in the holds. Doing inventory, he called it.

_Bloody Pirate. _


End file.
